Friday, June 6, 2014

Mini Nutella Cookie Cups

I'm a fan of mini cookie cups. They're like little cupcakes but in cookie form with a filling. If you need to bring cookies for an event or to give away, they're a little different than the norm and can look fancy but be very simple to make. In the case of these, you simply make the dough, portion into dough balls then drop into mini muffin tins. Don't worry about shaping them into "cups" until after they're baked. As soon as they come out of the oven, make an indent in the center. I used a tart tamper so it took only seconds to turn the puffy, muffin-shaped "cookies" into cookie cups. If you don't have a tart tamper, just use the rounded side of a teaspoon to press an indent in the center. Then you drop a dollop of nutella in the indents. You can top with the topping of your choice like mini chocolate chips, chopped toasted almonds or, like I did, with toffee bits.

When the cookie cups have cooled slightly and aren't so fragile, take them gently out of the muffin tins and let them cool completely. Don't let them cool all the way in the mini muffin tins or they'll be harder to take out as they will adhere more tightly to the muffin tin. Also, the moisture will absorb back into the cookie shells as they cool and make them soggy. These won't be crisp but will be chewy yet they shouldn't be wet/soggy.

I loved these because the cookie shell was a brown sugar cookie base (think of it like a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips) and it went perfectly with creamy, melt-y Nutella. The toffee added some nice crunch on top for a texture contrast. The only drawback, of course, is you can't stack these cookies or mail them without making a mess of the filling so I don't recommend doing either.

Cream butter and both sugars in bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until incorporated.

Gradually add dry ingredients until combined.

Roll dough into balls 1.5" thick.

Place in mini muffin tin and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let sit for about 2 minutes. Make wells in the center for the nutella with the back of a teaspoon or tablespoon (I used a tart shaper). Add 1 tablespoon of nutella to each cup. Let cool 15 - 20 minutes.